


Chinese Fortune Cookies

by greekowl87



Series: @txf-prompt-box Tumblr [14]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, MSR, Movie: Fight The Future, Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 02:23:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greekowl87/pseuds/greekowl87
Summary: Mulder and Scully let fortune cookies decide their future. Set season 6.





	Chinese Fortune Cookies

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt over at Tumblr's @txf-promp-box. Mulder and Scully eat fortune cookies.

They did not know what they were. The summer led them to Scully almost losing her life to an alien virus at the end of the world, Mulder awkwardly admitted her loved her after being rescued from the Bermuda triangle and her uncertain dismal, they lost their work, and sat in the bullpen tracking background checks or traveling to the Midwest to look in on people who bought fertilizer on the internet. And then there was the awkward and infuriating shadowy presence of Diana that loomed over their relationship. It sucked and Scully hated it.

In a rare moment of unspoken truce, they sat on his motel bed after an afternoon in stifling Okaloma heat on a cow farm, relatively quiet and eating terrible Chinese takeout while a baseball game droned on in the background. With practiced skill, Scully dug around her beef and broccoli in thought with her chopsticks. Mulder, half lounging on the bed, poked at his General Tso’s chicken with a fork.

“You okay, Scully?”

“Aside from the fact there is more beef than broccoli in here, I am fine,” she huffed.

Mulder shifted as the unspoken angry and tension continued to radiate off her. “I was thinking, if we are home next week, we could go up to Camden Yards, see the Orioles or maybe go to the Air and Space Museum. I hear they have a new exhibit.”

“Since when do you care what we do outside of work,” she snapped, sounding harsher than she wanted too. Scully winced. “I’m sorry, Mulder. I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately.”

“I’m sure I’m not helping that.” More silence. Scully finally found a piece of broccoli and turned her attention back to the television. “Why don’t we talk any more, Scully?”

“We’re talking right now, Mulder.” She was not looking at him, as if on purpose. “We talk all the time.”

He was about to open his mouth to say something else but closed it promptly. Scully shifted uneasily.

“Now really isn’t the time to start this conversation.”

“Why not? Did what happen in the hallway mean nothing?” he challenged, his passion and emotions getting the best of him. “Scully, look at me.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you, Mulder.” She bowed her head and closed her eyes. “I need…I need to go.”

He reached out, resting his hand on her knee, and she stilled. “Please.”

“You don’t need me, Mulder. You never have.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“Have you thought that maybe I need you?” she mumbled so quietly he did not catch it. She let out a sigh. “I don’t know where my place in life is right now. You have Diana now.”

“That means nothing, Scully.”

“Doesn’t it though? You dismissed me like that I was nothing! And not just once. Over and over again, Mulder.” She should be yelling, screaming, but her voice was low and quiet. “I mean nothing to you or the work.”

His heart stilled in his chest. “No. No.” He sat up and reached into the paper bag and reached blindly for the fortune cookies. “We’ll leave it to fate. Open the cookie. If it tells you in some way to get as far away from as you can, then do it.” She looked pointedly at him, annoyance written all over her face. “I’ll do one to. Here, see?” He held up the plastic-wrapped cookie for inspection. “If mine says the same thing…then…I’ll let it go.” And you too, his heart clenched.

“Mulder, this is stupid.”

“Scully, please. Just this one time. I’ll go first.”

“Fine,” she sighed.

Mulder crushed the cookie in the wrapper and took out the small piece a paper. He frowned and held it up. “It says, ‘That wasn’t chicken.’”

“You’re lying.” She took the piece a paper and snorted. “Well, now you can question the legitimacy of General Tso’s chicken.” He sighed, fear evident all over his face. “This is stupid, Mulder.”

“Just open it, Scully.”

Hefting another annoyed sighed, Scully delicately crushed the cookie in her hand and focused on the tiny message. We mold one another’s dreams. We hold one another’s fragile hopes in our hands. We touch each other’s hearts, she read silently in surprise. Scully did not believe in silly things like that, but she had faith and she did believe in miracles. “Well, mine is not as silly as yours.” He nodded encouragingly. Drawing a deep breath, she read aloud. “We mold one another’s dreams. We hold one another’s fragile hopes in our hands. We touch each other’s hearts.”

He titled his head as she set the cookie aside. “Wouldn’t you consider that a sign?”

“A cookie? A cookie is going to dictate my future,” she scoffed, the message burning her in a way she couldn’t imagine, dousing gasoline on the love for him. She closed her eyes, tears threatening. “It’s too late.”

“It’s not too late,” he soothed, brushing a stray tear away with his thumb. He cupped her cheek. “It’s not too late for us, Scully. If you don’t believe in a stupid cookie. Believe this.” She was caught off guard by the kiss. It happened to fast and slow all at once but it burned and he had marked her as hers and she somehow just knew. She knew what he had said in the hospital was true. He pulled back and rested his head against hers. “Can you believe?”

She nodded, returning the kiss hesitantly. She gave a small smile. “Better than a fortune cookie.”


End file.
